Could Greg Jennings wind up returning to Packers?

Green Bay - At some point over the course of the past year, the Packers gave WR Greg Jennings a number they thought would hold up should he make it to the free agent market.

Jennings thought he could do better and decided to play his hand.

With free agency just under three weeks away, the two will soon find out who was right. Either Jennings will find that teams still value him as a go-to receiver or that his age and injury history have knocked him down a couple pegs.

The Packers will be watching closely because while they haven't been willing to offer more than a modest deal to Jennings, they very well could find themselves in the same position they were in with James Jones two years ago. If Jennings doesn't get a great offer, he might consider coming back to a place where he can play with a franchise quarterback and compete for a Super Bowl.

But here's the problem.

Not everyone can do what Jones did. That is, swallow your pride after falling flat in free agency and returning to the team that seemingly didn't care enough about you to offer a great contract.

You have to really respect what Jones did, which is sign a modest three-year deal and come back as though nothing had changed. If anything, he worked harder than ever to prove he was a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver.

In 2011, he caught just 38 passes and played third fiddle to Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley, but he didn't pout and came back last year and with Jennings hurt caught a career-high 64 passes, including a league-leading 14 touchdowns. One more year like that and he'll have a chance to strike it big on the free agent market next spring.

So, if the market falls out on Jennings, who as SI's Peter King points out, faces obstacles in the form of a flat salary cap and a market flooded with quality free agents, the Packers might be willing to take him back. But Jennings would have to be wiling to swallow his pride the way Jones did and that would be a lot harder for a guy who has been a No. 1 and has been out selling himself hard on ESPN and NFL Network since the season ended.

It only takes one team to blow a hole in the ceiling, so it's still possible Jennings will get a good deal. Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time (see Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay). Sometimes it only takes one team to escalate the price, sometimes bidding against another team, sometimes bidding against itself.

But Jennings joins a free agent receiver group that includes unrestricted free agents Mike Wallace of Pittsburgh, Dwyane Bowe of Kansas City and Wes Welker of New England. Welker will be 32, Jennings 30, Bowe 29 and Wallace 27 before the first month of the regular season is over.

Last year, Jackson pulled in $26 million guaranteed on a five-year, $55.5 million deal. It's unlikely any of the four will come close to that.

A year ago, many people thought that Packers QB Matt Flynn was a lock to sign a big contract with Miami and become their starter. It didn't happen and Flynn wound up with a modest deal in Seattle, where he sat behind rookie sensation Russell Wilson.

Once again, many people are assuming Miami will jump all over a Packers free agent just because of the connection with coach Joe Philbin. It is not a sure thing that Jennings will be taking his act to South Beach. It's not even clear that Philbin is interested.

Jennings' agent will be able to do a little bit of reconnaissance at the scouting combine this week to feel out who might be interested. If he doesn't find what he's looking for, maybe Jennings will consider returning. But for him to come back he would have to find the kind of forgiveness Jones did when he re-signed.

That's a big if.

About Tom Silverstein

Tom Silverstein is in his 25th year covering the Green Bay Packers and 30th year with the Journal Sentinel. He is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year award winner.